Fabulous Fall

Is Fall the Antihero of Spring?

Many seem to dread fall because is is a precursor to winter (when many plants go dormant and look like they are dead) and plants are tired from the relentless summer. All the landscape needs is a couple of refreshing rains to clear the dirt off, a nice haircut and some de-cluttering before they take their annual winter nap.

Fall is considered the best time to do any corrective pruning, weed control, fertilizing for the next year and general refreshing of your landscape. It is long-considered the best time to plant perennials, do transplanting and install low-water plants because while the soil is still warm and encourages root development, the air is cooling off enough that new plants are not as stressed and there isn't as much of a drain on the new establishing root systems.

So the things to do this time of year are:

• Refresh your summer color (annuals) with a trim and a feed. They will rejuvenate and bloom for a while yet, and that will allow you time to integrate the fall/winter selection of pansies, snapdragons, stocks and calendulas.
• Plant bulbs. There is joy in seeing the daffodils and freesias smiling at you early in the spring when the other plants are stretching and just waking up, Make sure that you plant with a bulb food or bone meal for best results.
• Plant your fall veggies. This is all the "roots & shoots" like carrots, onions, beets and turnips; and also cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower. Don't foget the garlic and shallots!
• Divide your perennials. Daylilies, agapanthus, scabiosa, lirope and other clumping beauties can be divided and refreshed for a better spring presentation.
• Prevent weeds by cleaning up the existing specimens and applying pre-emergent to keep more from coming up. Lay out a fresh colver of bark or humus to spruce up the beds and add another layer of organic material to enrich the soil.
• Encourage your summer vegetables to pick up the pace, now that it is cooling off. A little trim here and there and an application of fertilizer will bounce them back into better production again while the weather permits.

So even though fall will lead into what some consider a dreary season, it is really the other side of spring, an antihero of sorts, and is still a restorative season both for plants and people. A refreshed landscape after the ravages of summer is always quite enjoyable.